Mediating digital program insertion for linear streaming media

ABSTRACT

Exemplary embodiments involve a mediation application executed on a processor determining one or more digital programming insertion breaks in a linear media stream. The linear media stream can include electronic content delivered over a network at a time determined by the content provider. The mediation application can determine that a plurality of clients identified by a common group identifier and in communication with the mediation application are receiving the linear media stream. The mediation application can mediate a plurality of requests for digital programming insertion content provided by a digital programming insertion content provider by identifying digital programming insertion content targeted to the common group identifier. The mediation application can provide the digital programming insertion content during the one or more digital programming insertion breaks to the plurality of clients.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to computer software and moreparticularly relates to mediating digital program insertion for linearstreaming media.

BACKGROUND

Electronic content, such as television content, can be provided toclients over the internet. Examples of television content provided overthe internet can include static content, such as video-on-demand, thatis pre-recorded. Providing television content over the internet caninclude digitally inserting other programming content, such asadvertisements, into the television content. Digitally insertedprogramming content can be included with the static content duringpre-defined breaks in the static content.

Providing television-style electronic content with digital programinsertion (“DPI”) to streaming media can pose several challenges forcontent providers. One challenge can include targeting of DPI content,such as advertisements, to certain groups. For example, advertisers maytarget ads to specific demographics, such as males of ages 24-36. Suchtargeting may be further refined by region or geography. Furthermore,providers of online advertising content may seek to target narrowlydefined groups based on tracking preferences of content subscribers.

A second challenge associated with DPI is scalability. Targeting DPIcontent can be difficult with respect to streaming media due to the needfor individualizing requests for DPI content based on the preferences ofsingle viewers or small groups of viewers. Individualizing requests forDPI content can place additional loads on systems managing the insertionof DPI content, thereby increasing the difficulty of scaling the systemsto service large audiences.

SUMMARY

Systems and methods are disclosed for mediating digital programinsertion (“DPI”) for linear streaming media. An exemplary embodimentinvolves a mediation application executed on a processor determining oneor more DPI breaks in a linear media stream. The linear media stream caninclude electronic content delivered over a network at a time determinedby the content provider. The mediation application can determine that aplurality of clients identified by a common group identifier and incommunication with the mediation application are receiving the linearmedia stream. The mediation application can mediate a plurality ofrequests for digital programming insertion content provided by a digitalprogramming insertion content provider by identifying the digitalprogramming insertion content from the digital programming insertioncontent provider targeted to the common group identifier. The mediationapplication can provide the DPI content during the one or more DPIbreaks to the plurality of clients.

These illustrative features are mentioned not to limit or define thedisclosure, but to provide examples to aid understanding thereof.Additional embodiments are discussed in the Detailed Description, andfurther description is provided there. Advantages offered by one or moreof the various embodiments may be further understood by examining thisspecification or by practicing one or more embodiments presented.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentdisclosure are better understood when the following Detailed Descriptionis read with reference to the accompanying drawings, where:

FIG. 1 is a network diagram illustrating a mediation system incommunication with a primary content provider, a DPI content provider,and clients;

FIG. 2 is a modeling diagram illustrating an exemplary flow ofcommunications among a mediation application, primary and DPI contentproviders, and clients;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting exemplary computing devices in anexemplary computing environment for implementing certain embodiments;and

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method for mediatingdigital program insertion for linear streaming media.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Systems and methods are provided for mediating digital program insertionfor linear streaming media. The systems and methods can enhance theability of DPI content providers to target DPI content to specificgroups of subscribers while maintaining the scalability of systemsproviding the DPI content.

The following example illustrates how a mediation system can mediate theprovision of DPI content with a linear media stream. An exemplary linearmedia stream can include a sporting event broadcast in real time overthe internet. A user can request the sporting event via a client, suchas a website CableChannel.xyz, from a primary content provider. Theprovider of the sporting event can sell advertising time to severalproviders of DPI content, such as advertising content. A plurality ofusers can request advertising content via plurality of clients duringbreaks in the sporting event designated for providing advertisingcontent.

The requests for the sporting event and the advertising content can berouted through from the client to the content providers via an exemplarymediation system. The mediation system can determine that a group ofusers requesting the DPI content via the clients share at least onecommon characteristic, such as a demographic group or geographiclocation. The mediation system can consolidate the requests by providinga single request to the advertisement provider for content targeted tothe group, obviating the need for each client to individually requestcontent from the advertisement provider. For example, if one millionusers belong to the same group targeted by an advertisement provider,the advertisement provider will receive a single content request from amediation system rather than one million separate content requests fromindividual clients. The mediation system can determine the advertisingcontent provided to different groups of users based on thecharacteristic shared by the users (e.g., geographical location). Usersfrom a zip code 12345 may receive advertising content from a first DPIcontent provider while users from a zip code 54321 may receiveadvertising content from a second DPI content provider. Accordingly, theexemplary mediation system can minimize the load on each DPI contentprovider while also allowing different DPI content to be provided todifferent groups targeted to receive the DPI content.

A mediation application executed by a processor of a computing systemcan determine the positions of one or more DPI breaks included in alinear media stream. The linear media stream can include electroniccontent delivered over a network, such as the internet, at a timedetermined by the content provider. The mediation application candetermine that a plurality of clients identified by a common groupidentifier are in communication with the mediation application and arereceiving the linear media stream. The mediation application mediate aplurality of requests for digital programming insertion content providedby a digital programming insertion content provider by identifying thedigital programming insertion content from the digital programminginsertion content provider targeted to the common group identifier. Themediation application can provide the digital programming insertioncontent during the one or more digital programming insertion breaks tothe plurality of clients.

As used herein, the term “digital programming insertion” (“DPI”) is usedto refer to systems and methods for providing DPI content along withprimary content. As used herein, “primary content” is used to refer toelectronic content being provided by a primary content provider accessedby a subscriber. As used herein, “DPI content” is used to refer toelectronic content provided by a DPI content provider with the primarycontent. As used herein, the term “content provider” is used to refer toa computing system, such as a server, that can provide electroniccontent via a network such as the internet. Examples of electroniccontent can include, but are not limited to, video files, audio files,image files, text files, other applications, etc. Primary content, suchas a media stream displaying a television episode that a subscriber hasselected for playback, is distinguished from DPI content, such asadvertisements or other short programs, requested by the client withoutinput from a subscriber. DPI content can be inserted into primarycontent during a DPI break. A DPI break can include, for example, aninterval of time during a media stream set aside for an advertisementprovider to insert advertisements into the media stream. DPI content canalso be inserted during a geography-based blackout for primary content.One example of a geography-based blackout is a blackout of primarycontent for insertion of an emergency alert services message specific toa geographic area. Another example of a geography-based blackout is ablackout of unlicensed content for a specific region, such as when alocal television station has a license to broadcast a sporting event inthe region where the sporting event takes place and an online contentprovider has a license to broadcast the sporting event for all areasexcluding that region.

As used herein, the term “linear media stream” is used to refer toelectronic content delivered over a network at a time determined by thecontent provider. In contrast to video-on-demand (“VOD”) content, aclient application does not determine a time at which the contentprovider broadcasts the linear media stream. One example of a linearmedia stream can include, but are not limited to, an event (e.g., afootball game) being broadcasted in real time over the internet. Anotherexample of a linear media stream can include pre-recorded contentbroadcast over the internet at a time selected by the content providerso that the pre-recorded content is presented to an online audience inthe same manner as a live event.

As used herein, the term “client” is used to refer to an instance of aclient application requesting and receiving electronic content from aprimary content provider or a DPI content provider. The client canrequest the electronic content from the primary content provider or theDPI content provider and provide the electronic content to a pluralityof subscribers. For example, a client providing electronic content maybe a website or web portal, such as CableChannel.xyz, providing a livesporting event to one or more subscribers. An instance of the client canbe a connection established over the internet between the websiteCableChannel.xyz and a particular subscriber. Different clients, such asCableChannel.xyz and Competitor CableChannel.xyz, may provide the samelive sporting event to multiple subscribers. The client application canexecute at a computing device receiving input from a user or at a serverbeing remotely accessed by the computing device. For example, a firstclient may be a website CableChannel.xyz accessed via the internet whilea second client may be a media player executing at the subscriber'scomputer. The client application can provide data to a primary contentprovider or a DPI content provider describing a subscriber receiving theelectronic content. The data can include a common group identifier tothe mediation application.

As used herein, the term “subscriber” is used to refer to a user viewingelectronic content via a client.

As used herein, the term “group identifier” is used to refer to one ormore criteria identifying a group of subscribers satisfying the one ormore criteria. Examples of a group identifier can include, but are notlimited to, demographic information of a subscriber using the client ora geographic location of a computing system associated with the client.

As used herein, the term “mediate” is used to refer to consolidating orotherwise processing requests for digital programming insertion contentso as to minimize the number of individual requests for the same digitalprogramming insertion content received by a given digital programminginsertion content provider.

In an exemplary embodiment, determining the DPI breaks in a linear mediastream can involve receiving data identifying one or more intervals inthe linear media stream available for digital programming insertion. Themediation application can identify one or more cues in the primarycontent for inserting DPI content. For example, a primary contentprovider providing a football game as a linear media stream can providedata to the mediation application identifying such cues. The data canindicate that a “time out” or other break in play during the game hasoccurred. The mediation application can also receive content requestsfor the DPI content during the linear media stream. Based on receivingthe requests, the mediation application can determine that the DPIcontent can be provided during the one or more intervals.

In an exemplary embodiment, determining that multiple clients areidentified by a common group identifier can include one or more DPIcontent providers providing a group identifier to the mediationapplication. The group identifiers can identify groups to which the DPIproviders are targeting particular content. The group identifiers caninclude, for example, a group identifier for males ages 16-24, a groupidentifier for females ages 30-45, and a group identifier for clients inthe southwestern United States. A mediation application can determinesubscribers having a common group identifier by comparing the groupidentifiers provided by the one or more DPI content providers withsubscriber information provided by clients requesting DPI content. Forexample, each of a plurality of clients can provide the age and genderof a subscriber stored in a subscriber profile for the clientapplication or a location of the subscriber determined from the IPaddress from which a content request originates.

In an exemplary embodiment, identifying the DPI content can includeretrieving DPI content from a DPI content provider in response to acontent request from a first client. The DPI content can be stored inmemory at the mediation system. The mediation application can thuscommunicate a single request for DPI content that can be provided tomultiple clients. Communicating a single request for DPI content to beprovided to multiple clients can reduce the number of content requestsfor the same content that the DPI content provider must process, therebydecreasing the load on the DPI content provider.

In additional or alternative embodiments, identifying DPI contenttargeted to the common group identifier can include the mediationapplication requesting DPI content specific to a group each time aclient provides a group identifier different from any group identifierspreviously provided to the mediation application. The mediationapplication can receive a request associated with a first subscriberfrom a client for DPI content. The mediation application can determinewhether it has previously requested DPI content in response to adifferent request associated with a previous subscriber having the samegroup identifier. If so, the mediation application can provide the sameDPI content to the requesting subscriber. If not, the mediationapplication can request DPI content from a DPI content providerassociated with the group identifier of the requesting subscriber.

In additional or alternative embodiments, the DPI content can beprovided based on input received from one or more representativeclients. For example, a mediation system may communicate with 1 millionclients receiving primary content. The primary content may includeseveral DPI breaks. At each DPI break, the mediation application maysolicit input from a percentage of the clients designated asrepresentative clients for each group to identify the DPI content thatthe mediation application should provide to the clients in the group.The mediation application can provide DPI content to all of the clientsin the group associated with the representative client based on acontent request received from the representative client.

In additional or alternative embodiments, the mediation application canformat the DPI content for delivery to the clients. For example, DPIcontent provided to clients may be provided to different device types orin different data formats within the group of clients. Accordingly, themediation application, rather than the DPI content provider, can formatthe DPI content for delivery to the client based on the different devicetypes or data formats within the group of clients.

In additional or alternative embodiments, the mediation application canmanage multiple content renditions of common DPI content to be providedto multiple clients to ensure quality of service for the streaming DPIcontent. Different renditions of DPI content can be encoded at differentbit rates and sizes for use by clients with different connection speeds.The mediation application can manage a set including multiple renditionsof the same DPI content, thereby ensuring uniform treatment of themultiple renditions of the set. For example, a mediation applicationtargeting a given DPI content item to a group can target an entire setof renditions of the given DPI content item to the group. When providinga DPI content item to a specific client, the mediation application canselect a rendition of the DPI content item from the set that isappropriate for a data connection with the specific client. Themediation application can determine the rendition appropriate for thedata connection based on, for example, the speed of the data connection.The mediation application can determine a transmission rate forproviding the DPI content that most closely matches (i.e., that is lessthan or equal to) the transmission rate of the primary content.Accordingly, a subscriber can view the DPI content without discerning adifference in quality between the primary content included in a linearmedia stream and the DPI content provided with the linear media stream.

These illustrative examples are given to introduce the reader to thegeneral subject matter discussed here and are not intended to limit thescope of the disclosed concepts. The following sections describe variousadditional embodiments and examples with reference to the drawings inwhich like numerals indicate like elements.

The features discussed herein are not limited to any particular hardwarearchitecture or configuration. A computing device can include anysuitable arrangement of components that provide a result conditioned onone or more inputs. Suitable computing devices include multipurposemicroprocessor-based computer systems accessing stored software thatprograms or configures the computing system from a general purposecomputing apparatus to a specialized computing apparatus implementingone or more embodiments of the present subject matter. Any suitableprogramming, scripting, or other type of language or combinations oflanguages may be used to implement the teachings contained herein insoftware to be used in programming or configuring a computing device.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a network diagram illustratinga mediation system 104 in communication with a primary content provider102, a DPI content provider 106, and clients 110.

The primary content provider 102 can be a computing system hostingprimary content 112. The computing system can include, but is notlimited to, a server system, a cloud computing system, and/or a gridcomputing system. The primary content provider 102 can provide primarycontent 112 to clients 110 via the network 108. The primary content 112can include a linear media stream.

The mediation system 104 can be a computing system hosting a mediationapplication 114. The computing system can include, but is not limitedto, a server system, a cloud computing system, and/or a grid computingsystem. In one embodiment, the mediation system 104 can be a separatesystem in communication with the primary content provider 102 via thenetwork 108, as depicted in FIG. 1. In additional or alternativeembodiments, the mediation system 104 can be a sub-system of the primarycontent provider 102.

The mediation system 104 can communicate with different types of DPIcontent providers 106 hosting DPI content 116. The DPI content providers106 can be computing systems such as, but not limited to, serversystems, a cloud computing systems, and/or grid computing systems. Eachof the DPI content providers 106 can be, for example, differentadvertisement servers providing DPI content 116 that includes variousadvertisements for insertion into the linear media stream included inthe primary content 112.

The DPI content providers 106 may lack the capability to provide the DPIcontent 116 in a streaming format to clients 110. The mediation system104 can receive DPI content 116 from the DPI content providers 106. Themediation application 114 of the mediation system 104 can format the DPIcontent 116 for insertion into a linear media stream.

The clients 110 can be instances of one or more client applicationsexecuting or otherwise using electronic content at client computingsystems. Examples of a client computing system can include, but are notlimited to, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, asmart phone, a gaming console, a smart television with internet-relatedfeatures (e.g., streaming video capability, built-in digital recording),etc. The client computing systems can be used by subscribers executingor otherwise using the primary content 112 and/or the DPI content 116.In some embodiments, the clients 110 can be instances of a websiteaccessed from a client system. For example, the clients 110 depicted inFIG. 1 may correspond to a plurality of client systems accessing awebsite providing the primary content 112 received from the primarycontent provider 102 and/or the DPI content 116 received from the DPIcontent providers 106. In other embodiments, the clients 110 can beapplications executing or otherwise using the instances of a website ata client computing system. An example of such an application is a mediaplayer.

FIG. 2 is a modeling diagram illustrating an exemplary flow ofcommunications among a mediation application 114, a primary contentprovider 102 and DPI content providers 106 a-c, and clients 110. Themediation application 114 can include a client targeting module 202 anda DPI management module 204.

The mediation application 114 can receive content requests 205 a-n fromclients 110, primary content 112 from the primary content provider 102,and DPI content 116 a-c from DPI content providers 106 a-c,respectively. The content requests 205 a-n can include requests for theDPI content 116 to be provided with the linear media stream included inthe primary content 112.

The client targeting module 202 of the mediation application 114 canresolve the content requests 205 a-n from individual clients 110 intogroups associated with the group identifiers 206 a-c based on a commongroup identifier. As depicted in FIG. 2, the content requests 205 a-nare resolved into groups associated with the group identifiers 206 a-c.The content requests for each of the groups are identified by a commongroup identifier. The value of the group identifier can be, for example,a character string, number, etc. In some embodiments, the groupidentifiers can identify groups belonging to a common demographic. Forexample, a group identifier may identify clients associated withsubscribers who are males of ages 16 to 24 or college graduates withthree to five years of work experience. In additional or alternativeembodiments, the group identifiers can identify groups based on thelocation of the client. For example, a group identifier may includeclients associated with network addresses located in certain states orregions.

For example, a client 110 may provide primary content 112, such astelevision content, requested from a primary content provider 102 to asubscriber. The client 110 may provide subscriber data such as the age,address, and household income of the subscriber to the primary contentprovider 102 when requesting the television content. The clienttargeting module 202 can use the subscriber data to identify a group forthe client based on a group identifier corresponding to one or more ofthe subscriber details.

The DPI management module 204 can perform DPI targeting to createtargeted output for each group identified by the client targeting module202. For example, when the client 110 executes or otherwise uses theprimary content 112, the DPI management module 204 can identify DPIbreaks in the primary content 112. The DPI management module 204 cannotify a client of program insertions targeted for a group to which theclient belongs.

The DPI management module 204 can receive DPI content 116 a-c and targetthe content based on groups associated with the group identifiers 206a-c. The DPI management module 204 can associate groups associated withthe group identifiers 206 a-c with clients 110 a-c, respectively.

DPI content 116 a can be targeted to the group associated with groupidentifier 206 a. The DPI management module 204 can identify DPI breaksin primary content 112 and insert DPI content 116 a. A combination ofprimary content 112 including a linear media stream and DPI content 116a can be provided to a group of clients 110 a corresponding to the groupidentifier 206 a.

DPI content 116 b can be targeted to the group associated with groupidentifier 206 b. The DPI management module 204 can identify DPI breaksin primary content 112 and insert DPI content 116 b. A combination ofprimary content 112 including the linear media stream and DPI content116 b can be provided to a group of clients 110 b corresponding to thegroup identifier 206 b.

DPI content 116 c can be targeted to the group associated with groupidentifier 206 c. The DPI management module 204 can identify DPI breaksin primary content 112 and insert DPI content 116 c. A combination ofprimary content 112 including the linear media stream and DPI content116 c can be provided to a group of clients 110 c corresponding to thegroup identifier 206 c.

The specific form and frequency of the communication between the clients110 and the mediation application 114 executed at the mediation system104 can vary based on the streaming protocol used for the communication.For example, the mediation application 114 may generate an ActionMessage Format (“AMF”) message for the mediation system 104 to send to aclient using a Real Time Messaging Protocol (“RTMP”) protocol. The AMFmessage may inform the client that a DPI break has been identified. Theclient can then request DPI content 116 from the mediation application114. Alternatively, a client using the Adobe® HTTP Dynamic Streaming(“HDS”) protocol may contact the mediation application 114 at regularintervals for updates to a content manifest file maintained by theclient. The mediation application 114 may thus provide DPI content 116along with each update to the content manifest file.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting exemplary computing devices in anexemplary computing environment for implementing certain embodiments.Mediation application 114 executes or is otherwise used on the exemplarymediation system 104 and is shown using functional components ormodules. As is known to one of skill in the art, such electronic contentmay be resident in any suitable non-transitory computer-readable mediumand can be executed on any suitable processor.

For example, as shown, an exemplary mediation system 104 can include anon-transitory computer-readable medium, such as a random access memory(RAM) 302, coupled to a processor 304 that executes computer-executableprogram instructions and/or accesses information stored in a memory 302.Such a processor 304 may include a microprocessor, anapplication-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a state machine, orother processor, and can be any of a number of computer processors. Sucha processor can include, or may be in communication with, anon-transitory computer-readable medium which stores instructions that,when executed by the processor 304, cause the processor 304 to performthe steps described herein.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium may include, but is notlimited to, an electronic, optical, magnetic, or other storage devicecapable of providing a processor with computer-readable instructions.Other examples include, but are not limited to, a floppy disk, CD-ROM,DVD, magnetic disk, memory chip, ROM, RAM, an ASIC, a configuredprocessor, optical storage, magnetic tape or other magnetic storage, orany other medium from which a computer processor can read instructions.The instructions may comprise processor-specific instructions generatedby a compiler and/or an interpreter from code written in any suitablecomputer-programming language, including, for example, C, C++, C#,Visual Basic, Java, Python, Perl, JavaScript, and ActionScript.

The mediation system 104 can receive input and provide output viainput/output (I/O) interface 308. I/O interface 308 can include, forexample, a network interface for communication via the network 108. Abus, such as bus 306, is included in the mediation system 104. Mediationsystem 104 can be any type of computing system included in a network ata domain appropriate for providing one or more of the features describedherein.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary mediation system 104 that includes, in amemory 302, mediation application 114. The mediation application 114 caninclude client targeting module 202 and DPI management module 204. Themediation application 114 can execute client targeting module 202 toconfigure the processor 304 to resolve content requests received via I/Ointerface 308 to client groups. The mediation application 114 canexecute DPI management module 204 to configure the processor 304 toretrieve primary content 112 from a primary content provider 102 and DPIcontent 116 from DPI content provider 106, load the primary content 112and DPI content 116 into the memory 302, and orchestrating thecombination of the primary content 112 and DPI content 116. The primarycontent 112 and DPI content 116 can include, but is not limited to,streaming video files, audio files, image files, and other mediacontent. Orchestrating the combination of the primary content 112 andDPI content 116 can including specifying how data packets comprising theprimary content 112 and DPI content 116 should be combined when the datapackets are received by clients 110. The mediation application 114 canconfigure the processor 304 to provide the primary content 112 and DPIcontent 116 to clients 110 via I/O interface 308.

The primary content provider 102 and DPI content provider 106 can be anysources of data that provide data upon request, pushed data, orotherwise provides data items for use by other applications. The primarycontent provider 102 and DPI content provider 106 can include, but arenot limited to, a dedicated server devices, cloud computing systems,and/or grid computing systems.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method 400 formediating digital program insertion for linear streaming media. Forillustrative purposes, the method 400 is described with reference to theelements of the flow of communications depicted in FIG. 2 and the systemimplementation depicted in FIG. 3. Other implementations, however, arepossible.

The exemplary method 400 involves determining one or more DPI breaks ina linear media stream, as shown in block 410. The mediation application114 can configure the processor 304 of the mediation system 104 todetermine the one or more DPI breaks. The linear media stream caninclude primary content 112.

In an exemplary embodiment, determining the DPI breaks in a linear mediastream can involve receiving data identifying one or more intervals inthe linear media stream available for digital programming insertion. Themediation application 114 can identify one or more cues in the primarycontent 112 for inserting DPI content 116. A primary content provider102 providing the football game as a linear media stream can providedata to the mediation application 114 identifying such cues. Forexample, a mediation application 114 can receive data from the primarycontent provider 102 providing a football game that a “time out” orother break in play during the game has occurred. The mediationapplication 114 can receive the content requests 205 a-n for the DPIcontent 116. Based on receiving the requests, the mediation application114 can determine that the DPI content 116 can be provided during theone or more intervals. If none of the clients 110 provides contentrequests 205 a-n during a given interval, the mediation application 114can determine that a DPI break does not occur during the interval.

The exemplary method 400 further involves determining that a pluralityof clients in communication receiving the linear media stream areidentified by a common group identifier, as shown in block 420. Theclient targeting module 202 of the mediation application 114 canconfigure the processor 304 of the mediation system 104 to identify acommon group identifier for each of clients 110.

In an exemplary embodiment, each of the DPI content providers 106 a-ccan provide a group identifier to the mediation application 114. Forexample, a DPI content provider 106 a may communicate a group identifierfor males ages 16-24, a DPI content provider 106 b may communicate agroup identifier for females ages 30-45, and a DPI content provider 106c may communicate a group identifier for clients in the southwesternUnited States. Each of the DPI content providers 106 a-c may be adifferent advertising content provider marketing a different product.

The exemplary method 400 further involves mediating a plurality ofrequests for DPI content 116 provided by a DPI content provider 106 byidentifying DPI content targeted to the common group identifier, asshown in block 430. The DPI management module 204 of the mediationapplication 114 can configure the processor 304 of the mediation system104 to identify DPI content for targeted to each of the groupsassociated with the group identifiers 206 a-c.

For example, a DPI management module 204 may determine that males ages16-24 should receive DPI content 116 a from a DPI content provider 106a, that females ages 30-45 should receive DPI content 116 b from a DPIcontent provider 106 b, and that subscribers in the southwestern UnitedStates should receive DPI content 116 c from a DPI content provider 106c.

In an exemplary embodiment, identifying the DPI content 116 can includeretrieving DPI content 116 from a DPI content provider in response to acontent request 205 from a first client. The mediation application 114can configure the processor 304 to store the DPI content 116 in memory302. The mediation application 114 does not retrieve content from theDPI content provider 106 in response to subsequent content requests fromother clients associated with the same group identifier as the firstclient. The mediation application 114 can thus communicate a singlerequest for DPI content 116 that can be provided to multiple clients110. Communicating a single content request 205 for DPI content 116 canreduce the load on a DPI content provider 106 by obviating the need fora DPI content provider 106 to process a large number of requests for thesame DPI content 116 from a large number of subscribers. The mediationapplication 114 can thus mediate requests for DPI content 116 fromindividual clients 110.

In additional or alternative embodiments, the mediation application 114can request DPI content 116 specific to a group each time a clientprovides a group identifier different from any group identifierspreviously provided to the mediation application 114. The mediationapplication 114 can receive a request associated with a first subscriberfrom a client for DPI content 116. The mediation application 114 candetermine whether it has previously requested DPI content 116 inresponse to a different request associated with a previous subscriberhaving the same group identifier. If so, the mediation application 114can provide the same DPI content 116 to the requesting subscriber. Ifnot, the mediation application 114 can request DPI content 116 from aDPI content provider 106 associated with the group identifier of therequesting subscriber.

The exemplary method 400 further involves providing the digitalprogramming insertion content 116 during the one or more digitalprogramming insertion breaks, as shown in block 440. The DPI managementmodule 204 of the mediation application 114 can configure the processor304 of the mediation system 104 to provide DPI content 116 a-c targetedto each of the groups associated with the group identifiers 206 a-c inthe DPI breaks of primary content 112. DPI content 116 a targeted to agroup associated with the group identifier 206 a can be provided toclients 110 a during the DPI breaks. DPI content 116 b targeted to agroup associated with the group identifier 206 b can be provided toclients 110 b during the DPI breaks. DPI content 116 c targeted to agroup associated with the group identifier 206 c can be provided toclients 110 c during the DPI breaks.

In additional or alternative embodiments, the mediation application 114can provide DPI content 116 to a group of clients based on inputreceived from one or more representative clients. For example, amediation system 104 may communicate with 1 million clients 110receiving primary content 112. The primary content 112 may includeseveral DPI breaks. At each DPI break, the mediation application 114 maydesignate solicit input from a percentage of the clients 110 designatedas representative clients for each group to identify the DPI content 116that the mediation application 114 should provide to the clients in thegroup. The mediation application 114 can provide DPI content 116 to allof the clients in the group associated with the representative clientbased on a content request 205 received from the representative client.

In additional or alternative embodiments, the mediation application 114can format the DPI content 116 for delivery to the clients 110. Forexample, DPI content 116 a provided to clients 110 a may be provided todifferent device types within the group of clients 110 a. Accordingly,the DPI management module 204, rather than the DPI content provider 106a, can format the DPI content 116 a for the different device typeswithin the group of clients 110 a. Furthermore, different clients 110may use different formats for the DPI content 116. For example, a firstclient in the group of clients 110 a may execute or otherwise use DPIcontent 116 a formatted as an MPEG file while a second client in thegroup of clients 110 a may execute or otherwise use DPI content 116 aformatted as an AVI file. The mediation application 114 can provide theDPI content 116 a in the appropriate format for the respective clients.

In additional or alternative embodiments, the DPI management module 204can also manage multiple content renditions of common DPI content 116 tobe provided to multiple clients 110 to ensure quality of service for thestreaming of DPI content 116. Multiple renditions of the DPI content 116can be encoded at different bit rates and sizes for delivery overdifferent connection speeds between the mediation system 104 and theclients 110. The DPI management module 204 can manage a set of multiplerenditions of the DPI content 116, thereby ensuring that DPI insertionoccurs uniformly across the set. For example, a mediation application114 targeting a given DPI content item to a group of clients 110 cantarget an entire set of renditions of the given DPI content item to thegroup of clients 110. When providing a DPI content item to a specificclient 110, the mediation application 114 can select a rendition fromthe set of renditions of the DPI content item that is best suited to adata connection with the specific client 110. The mediation application114 can determine the rendition appropriate for the data connectionbased on, for example, the speed of the data connection. The DPImanagement module 204 can determine a transmission rate for providingthe DPI content that is a closest match (i.e., less than or equal to)the transmission rate of the primary content 112. Accordingly, asubscriber can view the DPI content 116 without discerning a differencein quality between the primary content 112 included in a linear mediastream and the DPI7 content 116 provided with the linear media stream.

General

Numerous specific details are set forth herein to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the claimed subject matter. However, those skilled inthe art will understand that the claimed subject matter may be practicedwithout these specific details. In other instances, methods, apparatusesor systems that would be known by one of ordinary skill have not beendescribed in detail so as not to obscure claimed subject matter.

Some portions are presented in terms of algorithms or symbolicrepresentations of operations on data bits or binary digital signalsstored within a computing system memory, such as a computer memory.These algorithmic descriptions or representations are examples oftechniques used by those of ordinary skill in the data processing artsto convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. Analgorithm is a self-consistent sequence of operations or similarprocessing leading to a desired result. In this context, operations orprocessing involves physical manipulation of physical quantities.Typically, although not necessarily, such quantities may take the formof electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred,combined, compared or otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient attimes, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to such signalsas bits, data, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers,numerals or the like. It should be understood, however, that all ofthese and similar terms are to be associated with appropriate physicalquantities and are merely convenient labels. Unless specifically statedotherwise, it is appreciated that throughout this specificationdiscussions utilizing terms such as “processing,” “computing,”“calculating,” “determining,” and “identifying” or the like refer toactions or processes of a computing device, such as one or morecomputers or a similar electronic computing device or devices, thatmanipulate or transform data represented as physical electronic ormagnetic quantities within memories, registers, or other informationstorage devices, transmission devices, or display devices of thecomputing platform.

The system or systems discussed herein are not limited to any particularhardware architecture or configuration. A computing device can includeany suitable arrangement of components that provide a result conditionedon one or more inputs. Suitable computing devices include multipurposemicroprocessor-based computer systems accessing stored software thatprograms or configures the computing system from a general purposecomputing apparatus to a specialized computing apparatus implementingone or more embodiments of the present subject matter. Any suitableprogramming, scripting, or other type of language or combinations oflanguages may be used to implement the teachings contained herein insoftware to be used in programming or configuring a computing device.

Embodiments of the methods disclosed herein may be performed in theoperation of such computing devices. The order of the blocks presentedin the examples above can be varied—for example, blocks can bere-ordered, combined, and/or broken into sub-blocks. Certain blocks orprocesses can be performed in parallel.

The use of “adapted to” or “configured to” herein is meant as open andinclusive language that does not foreclose devices adapted to orconfigured to perform additional tasks or steps. Additionally, the useof “based on” is meant to be open and inclusive, in that a process,step, calculation, or other action “based on” one or more recitedconditions or values may, in practice, be based on additional conditionsor values beyond those recited. Headings, lists, and numbering includedherein are for ease of explanation only and are not meant to belimiting.

While the present subject matter has been described in detail withrespect to specific embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated thatthose skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of theforegoing, may readily produce alterations to, variations of, andequivalents to such embodiments. Accordingly, it should be understoodthat the present disclosure has been presented for purposes of examplerather than limitation, and does not preclude inclusion of suchmodifications, variations and/or additions to the present subject matteras would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: identifying, by amediation application executed on a processor, one or more digitalprogramming insertion breaks in a linear media stream, wherein thelinear media stream comprises electronic content delivered over anetwork at a time determined by a content provider; determining, by themediation application, that a plurality of clients in communication withthe mediation application and receiving the linear media stream areidentified by a common group identifier; mediating, by the mediationapplication, a plurality of requests for digital programming insertioncontent provided by a digital programming insertion content provider,wherein mediating the plurality of requests comprises: designating arepresentative subset of clients of the plurality of clients having thecommon group identifier, wherein the representative subset of clientsincludes fewer than all of the plurality of clients, and solicitinginput from the representative subset of clients in response to the oneor more digital programming insertion breaks occurring during the linearmedia stream; and providing, by the mediation application, the digitalprogramming insertion content from the digital programming insertioncontent provider to the plurality of clients during the one or moredigital programming insertion breaks based on the input received by therepresentative subset of clients.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinidentifying the one or more digital programming insertion breakscomprises: receiving, by the mediation application, data identifying oneor more intervals in the linear media stream available for digitalprogramming insertion; receiving, by the mediation application, one ormore requests for the digital programming insertion content; anddetermining, by the mediation application, that the digital programminginsertion content can be provided during the one or more intervals. 3.The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the plurality of clientsare identified by the common group identifier comprises determining thatthe plurality of clients are associated with a common demographic. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the plurality of clientsare identified by the common group identifier comprises determining thatthe plurality of clients are associated with a common geographical area.5. The method of claim 1, wherein mediating the plurality of requestsfurther comprises requesting new digital programming insertion contentfrom the digital programming insertion content provider based ondetermining that an additional client is identified by a different groupidentifier than a previously provided group identifier used forretrieving the digital programming insertion content from the digitalprogramming insertion content provider.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein mediating the plurality of requests further comprises:retrieving the digital programming insertion content from the digitalprogramming insertion content provider in response to a first contentrequest from a first client having the common group identifier; andstoring the digital programming insertion content in a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium; wherein providing the digital programminginsertion content comprises providing the digital programming insertioncontent stored in the computer-readable medium to a second client havingthe common group identifier in response to a second content request fromthe second client.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing thedigital programming insertion content comprises formatting the digitalprogramming insertion content for delivery to each system associatedwith a client receiving the digital programming insertion content. 8.The method of claim 1, wherein providing the digital programminginsertion content comprises maintaining a constant quality of servicebetween the digital programming insertion content and the linear mediastream.
 9. A computing system comprising: a processor for executinginstructions stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium on oneor more devices providing a mediation application; wherein the mediationapplication comprises one or more modules configured to performoperations comprising: identifying one or more digital programminginsertion breaks in a linear media stream, wherein the linear mediastream comprises electronic content delivered over a network at a timedetermined by a content provider; determining that a plurality ofclients in communication with the mediation application and receivingthe linear media stream are identified by a common group identifier;mediating a plurality of requests for digital programming insertioncontent provided by a digital programming insertion content provider,wherein mediating the plurality of requests comprises: designating arepresentative subset of clients of the plurality of clients having thecommon group identifier, wherein the representative subset of clientsincludes fewer than all of the plurality of clients, and solicitinginput from the representative subset of clients in response to the oneor more digital programming insertion breaks occurring during the linearmedia stream; and providing the digital programming insertion contentfrom the digital programming insertion content provider to the pluralityof clients during the one or more digital programming insertion breaksbased on the input received by the representative subset of clients. 10.The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more modules of the mediationapplication are further configured to mediate the digital programminginsertion content by performing operations comprising: retrieving thedigital programming insertion content from the digital programminginsertion content provider in response to a first content request from afirst client having the common group identifier; and storing the digitalprogramming insertion content in the computer-readable medium; whereinproviding the digital programming insertion content comprises providingthe digital programming insertion content stored in thecomputer-readable medium to a second client having the common groupidentifier in response to a content request from the second client. 11.The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more modules of the mediationapplication are configured to identify the digital programming insertioncontent by requesting new digital programming insertion content from thedigital programming insertion content provider based on determining thatan additional client is identified by a different group identifier thana previously encountered group identifier.
 12. A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium embodying program code executable by a computersystem, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising: programcode for identifying one or more digital programming insertion breaks ina linear media stream, wherein the linear media stream compriseselectronic content delivered over a network at a time determined by acontent provider; program code for determining that a plurality ofclients in communication with a mediation application and receiving thelinear media stream are identified by a common group identifier; programcode for mediating a plurality of requests for digital programminginsertion content provided by a digital programming insertion contentprovider, wherein mediating the plurality of requests comprises:designating a representative subset of clients of the plurality ofclients having the common group identifier, wherein the representativesubset of clients includes fewer than all of the plurality of clients,and soliciting input from the representative subset of clients inresponse to the one or more digital programming insertion breaksoccurring during the linear media stream; and program code for providingthe digital programming insertion content from the digital programminginsertion content provider to the plurality of clients during the one ormore digital programming insertion breaks based on the input received bythe representative subset of clients.
 13. The computer-readable mediumof claim 12, wherein the program code for identifying the one or moredigital programming insertion breaks comprises: program code forreceiving data identifying one or more intervals in the linear mediastream available for digital programming insertion; program code forreceiving, by the mediation application, one or more requests for thedigital programming insertion content; and program code for determining,by the mediation application, that the digital programming insertioncontent can be provided during the one or more intervals.
 14. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the program code fordetermining that the plurality of clients are identified by the commongroup identifier comprises program code for determining that theplurality of clients are associated with a common demographic.
 15. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the program code fordetermining that the plurality of clients are identified by the commongroup identifier comprises program code for determining that theplurality of clients are associated with a common geographical area. 16.The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the program code formediating the plurality of requests further comprises: program code forretrieving the digital programming insertion content from the digitalprogramming insertion content provider in response to a first contentrequest from a first client having the common group identifier; andprogram code for storing the digital programming insertion content in anon-transitory computer-readable medium; wherein the program code forproviding the digital programming insertion content comprises programcode for providing the digital programming insertion content stored inthe computer-readable medium to a second client having the common groupidentifier in response to a content request from the second client. 17.The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the program code foridentifying the digital programming insertion content comprises programcode for requesting new digital programming insertion content from thedigital programming insertion content provider based on determining thatan additional client is identified by a different group identifier thana previously encountered group identifier.
 18. The method of claim 1,wherein mediating the plurality of requests further comprises:transmitting a representative request from the plurality of requests tothe digital programming insertion content provider; determining thatrequests from the plurality of requests other than the representativerequest are not to be transmitted to the digital programming insertioncontent provider based on the plurality of clients being identified bythe common group identifier; and receiving the digital programminginsertion content from the digital programming insertion contentprovider in response to the representative request.